Closure operator



March 17, 1936. T ROBINSON 2,034,445

CLOSURE OPERATOR Original Filed Oct. 2, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l i tell 17, 1936. ROBINSON 2,034,445

CLOSURE OPERATOR Original'Filed Ogt. 2, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor m u,/////2//22;2522a 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 T. E. ROBINSON CLOSURE OPERATOR Original Filed Oct. 2, 1933 Patented Mar. 17, 1936 U NIT'E D STATES CLOSURE OPERAT 0R Thomas E. Robinson, Rock Springs, Wyo:

Application October 2,

1933, Serial No.: 691,861

Renewed-August 19, 1935 2" Claims.

This invention relatesto the class of closure operators and has as its object the provisionof an improved mechanism for opening and closin garagedoors, and for locking the doors incident to a closing thereof, and unlockingthe doors incident to an opening thereof.

It' is still a further object of the invention to provide a mechanism of the character above mentioned which is composed of comparatively few parts, is inexpensive to install, and thoroughly efficient in operation.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be best understood from a study of the following description takeniinzconnection' with'the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of the mechanism.

showing the parts of the doors in open position.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the doors in closed position.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the mechanism,

Figure 4 is a sectional view through one of the links.

Referring to the drawings by reference nu-' merals it will be seen that 5 indicates generally a garage and 5 the doors of the garage.

In accordance with the present invention there is mounted longitudinally in the top part of the garage a pair of spaced parallel guide rails I and 8 and extending between the guide rails in parallelism thereto is a fixed guide rod 9. A tubular member If! is slidably engaged with the guide rod 9. The member II] on the bottom side thereof is provided with a rack bar II that is in constant mesh with a rack gear I2 on one end of a shaft l3 journalled transversely of a supporting frame I4 that is mounted on one of the guide bars in the present instance the guide bar 8. Also journalled transversely of the bracket I4 is a shaft I5 and shafts I3 and I5 have a belt and pulley drive connection as indicated at I6. Also mounted on the guide bar 8 is a bracket on which is supported an electric motor I! that has a belt and pulley drive connection I8 with the shaft I5. Obviously power is transmitted from the motor I! to the shaft I5, and from the shaft I5 to the shaft I3 so that the rod I0 is reciprocated along the guide rod 9 when the motor I! is in operation.

At its forward end the rod I9 is provided with a depending extension I9 to which are pivoted at one end links 20.

As shown in Figure 4 each of the links 20 includes an outer tubular rod 2| that is pivoted at one end to the depending extension I9 of the slide member ID. Slidable within the rod 2| is a rod 22 that is normally urged inwardly of the rod 2| through the medium of-a suitable spring. 23. The outer or free end' of the-.rod 22 lS plVOt6d tOU0IIe of the doors 6 as at 24.-

From the above it will be apparent that when the rod Ii] moves forwardly or toward the right in Figure 2 the doorst will swing from the closed position shownin Figure 2 to the open position shown in Figure l; and upon reverse movement of the member Iil'the doors will. swing fromthe open position shown in Figure 1 to the closed: position shown in Figure 2.

The doorsii-are provided withkeepersZEwwith which are'engaged' latches 26 operating-in guides Zlprovided. therefor 'on' theinner side of the* front wall of the'garage- 5; These latches 26' are pivotally connected withbell cranks-ZBUthat are rotatably supported on a horizontal shaft 29:

Connected to each bell crank 28 is a cable 39 which in turn is connected to the front ends of a pair of cables 3! by a coil spring 32. The rear ends of the pair of cables 3I are connected to opposite ends of a lever 33 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a bracket projecting laterally from the guide bar 8 while the other set of cables 3| are connected to a similar lever 34 pivoted intermediate its ends on a bracket projecting laterally from the guide bar I. The lever 36 is arranged in advance of the lever 33, and the inner ends of these levers are normally arrangd in the path of the depending extension I9 of the slide I0.

From the above it will be apparent that when the doors 6 are being swung to a closed position, just before said doors reach their fully closed position the extension I9 will engage the inner end of the lever 33 rocking the latter in an anticlockwise direction as shown in Figure 2 thus causing the cables to rock one of the bell cranks 28 to raise one of the latches 26 so that the. door associated with said latch can close and then upon further movement of the member II), the part I9 will strike the other lever 34 to raise the other latch 26 to permit the second door to close and then, as the member I9 moves past the lever 34, the second latch will move downwardly and engage the keeper 25, the other latch moving into engagement with its keeper when the member I9 passes the lever 33.- When the member I9 is moved forwardly, the part I9, engaging the. lever 34, will raise the latch 26 of the last door to be closed, so that this .door can start to open before the latch of the other door is released and then when the part I9 engages the lever 33, the second latch will be moved upwardly and the second door will start to move to open position. This arrangement is provided where one of the doors is provided with a parting strip which overlaps the other door, so that in this case, it is necessary to close the door having the parting strip thereon after the other door has been closed and to open the door having the parting strip thereon before the other door is opened.

The electric motor I! is arranged in circuit with a suitable manually operable switch 35 which may be mounted in any convenient location, and cut out switches 36, 31 mounted on the guide bar 8 and adapted to be automatically operated through the medium of a lateral arm or extension 38 provided on the rear end of the slide I 0.

It will thus be seen that when the doors are closed and it is desired to open the doors the switch 35 is closed for closing the circuit to the motor so that drive is transmitted from the motor to the slide I 0 through the mechanism hereinbefore described for moving the slide ID from the left to the right. Just as the slide l0 completes its forward movement the arm 38 thereof will engage the switch 31 tripping the switch and thus opening the circuit to the motor l1.

When it is desired to close the doors the control switch 35 is again operated for closing the circuit to the motor so that the drive is transmitted from the motor to the slide ID for sliding the same from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2. Just as the slide l0 reaches the limit of its rearward or door closing movement the arm 38 thereof engages the switch 36 and trips the latter for again opening the circuit to the motor l1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In combination with a pair of hinged doors, a reciprocatory member, means for reciprocating the same, a telescopic link having one member thereof pivoted to each door and the other member to the reciprocatory member, a spring connecting the telescopic members together and tending to move one member into the other, latch means for holding each door in closed position, a pair of levers arranged one in advance of the other with their inner ends located in the path of movement of a part of the reciprocatory member, and means operated by rocking movement of the levers for moving the latch means to releasing position.

2. Means for opening and closing a pair of hinged doors comprising a supporting structure, including a rod, a tubular rack bar slidably arranged on the rod and having a depending part at its forward end, a pair of telescopic links connecting said depending part to the doors, spring means for connecting the two members of each link together, a shaft, a gear thereon engaging the teeth of the rack bar, an electric motor for rotating the shaft, manually operated means for closing the circuit to the motor, means operated by the rack bar for breaking the circuit to the motor as the same nears each limit of its reciprocatory movement, latch means for holding the doors closed, and means operated by the movement of the rack bar for releasing said latch means, such means including a lever located in the path of movement of the projecting part of the rack bar, and flexible means including a spring for connecting the lever with the latch means.

THOMAS E. ROBINSON. 

